The present invention is generally directed to an elevation device that can be used by a patient to elevate an extremity. In the past, elevation devices have been used to position an extremity on a patient to enhance the healing of an injury or illness suffered by the patient. The elevation devices can also be utilized to protect an injured extremity so that further injury does not occur. It has also been found that positioning the extremity on a resilient surface provides greater comfort to the patient and helps prevent further injuries or complications for the patient. As well as aiding the healing process and the patient's compliance with doctor's instructions.
In the prior art, blocks of foam-type resilient material have been utilized to elevate and position an extremity on a patient to enhance the healing process. To provide the proper support, the foam-type of elevation device has been relatively large to provide the proper structural rigidity. The large size is also necessary to provide stability to prevent the elevation device from tipping over or having an extremity roll out of the device during use. In addition, the prior art foam elevation devices have been configured into a shape that is suitable for use with a patient. This type of prior art elevation device utilizes a significant quantity of foam-type material to form the elevation device which makes the product expensive so the product is only used in applications where the cost can be justified. In addition, the large size required to provide the necessary structural rigidity and stability results in a product that is large to store and expensive to ship which further limits the usefulness of the prior art device. However, the prior art devices, even with the large size, have had difficulty providing the necessary stability. Further, the large foam structure in the prior art elevation devices is subject to being damaged relatively easily during the transportation or storage of the product. The resilient nature of the foam material makes the elevation device subject to being damaged or unacceptably soiled when it is being transported or stored. Obviously, it is possible to provide a packaging structure around the large foam device but the packaging structure just increases the cost and storage problems associated with such prior art devices.
Accordingly, there is a need in the industry for an elevation device that is smaller in size and that can be packaged in a way that the device can be more readily transported and stored. In addition, there is a need for an elevation device that requires less resilient foam material to properly support an extremity of the patient to reduce the cost of the elevation device product.